Sharpening the Blade

You probably think the title is going to be something around the quote by Abe Lincoln (I think it was Honest Abe, but I’m not going to look it up) when he said something about if he had only an hour to chop down a tree, he’d spend most of the time (or some of the time) sharpening his axe (or saw).

Feel free to use that if you can understand what the f’ I was trying to say. If only there was some sort of machine and network where I could find that exact quote.

Nope. Why am I excited about “sharpening the blade?” It refers to my lawn. I’ve reached the Memorial Day Weekend and I always mark that weekend as the weekend I sharpen both my mower blades to Japanese sword precision, and the lawn really starts to pop.

What about your blade from April until Memorial Day, you ask?

Well, with all the crap in the lawn (sticks, pine cones, weeds), for the first five weeks I use a nice, sharp blade but it’s an enhanced mulching blade. Now …I start to create the carpet.

You have your fun your way. I’ll have my fun my way. I like to think my obsession with my lawn speaks to something inside me, some amazing trait, that transcends simple lawn maintenance and reveals an inner greatness. Like, maybe it shows my attention to detail on the simple things means you can trust me on the big things? Or maybe it shows that I demand perfection, or strive towards it, in everything I do.

Of course, I realize, it could be some sort of misguided escapism where I have “control” while the rest of my life is spinning out of control, and yes, I put in noise cancelling earbuds and listen to audio books and Podcasts while mowing my lawn (1.25 hours / week) and really enjoy that “me time” so maybe I am hiding from something.

Or maybe it’s good exercise, it speaks to my homo Sapien roots of working the earth and the land, and humbles me? Yes. I like that psychoanalysis.